Weekend Adventures

Weekend, comes and weekend goes.
Being denied entry into Squamish for the weekend, we made due with the local climbing scene. Like most things it life, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We decided to check out a newer climbing area in Skagit Valley, outside of Sedro Wolly called "Equinox." A gem is how I would describe it. A little slice of sport climbing heaven.
Friday morning I treated myself to a day off. I slept in, which was much needed. Then took Natasha for a little outing to "Big Rock Park," and then proceeded to spend way too much money at Costco. John came home at lunchtime and we drove an hour south to the trail head for the crag, hiked in for about 30 minutes, and proceeded to climb a handful of routes. I have not been that pumped in ages. I must say that I loved it! The rock is of great quality and the routes are great. The area is fairly new, which is a beautiful thing. This is a rarity in the climbing community these days. There is still moss all over the base of the crag and not a spot of litter, butts, tape, or DOG POOP! We need to keep this place our little secret, leave your out of control pets at home, pack everything out, and be respectful of the area in general. Let this stay the coolest sport crag in Washington.
On Saturday we met up with Larry and Mary Simpson, John's aunt and uncle from Birmingham. They are on a vacation on which they tour Vancouver, BC and the surroundings and then take a train to Bamff, where they spend a bit more time. We joined them for a tour of Stanley Park and then for a 5 star dinner in their hotel ( Sutton Hotel). Swanky!! WOW it was really nice! It was even better to be able to spend time with them. They are a great couple that are ready for anything and just want to have a good time. We had a great time!
On Sunday we rose early to head back down to Equinox. We were just so jazzed about the place we passed up Index to be able to do a bit more sport climbing. John rolled his ankle on the hike in. He tore it in a big sort of way. I think that it is going to put him out of commission for longer than he would like. Think good thoughts for his speedy recovery. By the time we got to the crag, we found that our little gem was a bit more popular than we had imagined. There ended up being a handful of others with the same intentions. It is just too good not to be shared.